


Magic Trick

by SharkGirl



Series: SpooOooOOoooOoky (Writober 2016) [18]
Category: Free!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Magic, Day 18 - Magic Gone Wrong, Disappearing Act, Gen, Magic, Magic Wand, Post-Canon, Writober 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 05:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8314930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: What better way to recruit the incoming first years to the Iwatobi Swim Club than by putting on a magic show?Written for Writober 2016Day 18 - Magic/Science Gone Wrong





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and Happy Birthday to me!! XD
> 
> For this prompt, I wanted to write ReiGisa, but since _Science Gone Wrong_ seemed too close to their MOOK story, I went the other way and did magic, haha.
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely indevan~  
> Please enjoy!!

Nagisa had been the one to insist upon it.  It had been his idea.  Because, what better way to recruit the incoming first years to the Iwatobi Swim Club than by putting on a magic show?

Rei was against it at first, but, when Gou suggested that they walk through the hallways in nothing but the papier-mâché Iwatobi-chan heads Haru had left behind after graduation, well, he was quick to change his tune.

It was a simple trick.  Nagisa had done some research online about magical boxes and disappearing acts.  He and Gou even went to a specialty store after school.  Rei had refused, saying something about heading to the library and checking out some books about pledge or prestige.

Well, Nagisa still had fun with Gou, searching for the perfect magic wand.

“You’re not a magician without one,” he’d said when Rei asked about it.

“How about this one?” Gou asked, pointing to a box displayed on a shelf.  There were about a hundred more of the exact same boxes behind it.

“No.” Nagisa shook his head. “I want something unique for Rei-chan to use.”

They walked a little deeper into the store, hoping a clerk would appear to help them, but the area behind the cash register was empty.

“Ooh, what’s back here?” Nagisa asked as they came upon a heavy purple curtain. “I bet they keep the real magic stuff hidden, right, Gou-chan?”

“Nagisa-kun, you know magic isn’t real-”

“Isn’t it?” a voice said from right behind them, causing them both to jump a foot in the air. “Looking for something in particular?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Oh, uh, yes.” Gou put a hand over her heart as she recovered. “We’re looking for a magic wand.”

“Ah, yes, we have several of them right over there.” He pointed toward the front of the store.

“We don’t want the fake ones.” Nagisa frowned and then winced when Gou elbowed him in the ribs.

“Nagisa-kun,” she hissed before turning to face the owner. “Please excuse us, um…”

“Sardo.”

“Yes, Sardo-san, we-”

“That’s Sar- _doh_ ,” he interrupted. “No honorifics, accent on the _doh_.”

“Right.” Gou and Nagisa exchanged glances. “We were looking for something a bit more…unique,” she offered.

“Ah, I see.” Sardo rubbed his chin and nodded. “Perhaps I do have something.”  He pulled the purple curtain to the side and motioned for them to enter.

The back room was dusty and not at all as welcoming as the front of the shop.  And there were all sorts of strange things on the shelves.  Vials of mysterious liquid, jars filled with fake hearts and eyeballs – well, they _hoped_ they were fake – and odd statues and dolls, whose eyes seemed to follow them as they walked.

But no wands.

Nagisa was about to turn around and head back when he spotted it, high up on a shelf, covered in a thick blanket of dust.

The perfect wand.

“We’ll take that one, please!” Nagisa interrupted Sardo, who had been showing Gou another one.

“That one’s not for sale,” Sardo said simply and went back to telling Gou about its composition. “There’s real horse hair inside-”

“But that one’s perfect.” Nagisa pouted.  Now that he’d seen it, he knew that’s what they needed for their show.  It would make their performance and, hopefully, get some first years to join the club.

“I told you, it’s not for sale.”

Nagisa sighed.

“We’ll take this one,” Gou said, pointing to the one in Sardo’s hands.

“Very good.”

But, as they turned to walk out of the backroom, Nagisa jumped up onto a table and grabbed the wand from the shelf, tucking it into his backpack and landing softly on the ground before either noticed he’d fallen behind.

“Let’s go, Nagisa-kun,” Gou called.

“Coming!”

He'd gotten a tongue lashing from Gou later.

 

Finally, it was time for their club’s segment.  They were all set and had even made a box large enough for Nagisa to fit inside – complete with an Iwatobi-chan design.

“Ladies and gentleman!” Rei said, adjusting his top hat and throwing his cape out with a flourish.

 _And he didn’t want to do this_ , Nagisa thought to himself with a snicker.

“We are the Iwatobi Swim Club and today, we present to you something that will amaze!”

That was Nagisa’s cue to get into the box.  Gou walked over in her glittery dress and helped him inside before closing the front.

It was dark, but Nagisa could see the light coming in through the second opening in the back.  All he had to do was walk out and hide behind the curtain when Rei said the magic words and the fog machines – thank you, Theatre Club – started to dispense.

“Magic there, magic here, make Nagisa-kun disappear!” Rei said and Nagisa had to stifle a snort at his choice of spell.  He quickly sneaked out the back of the box and hid behind the curtain, waiting to be called back.

He heard the audience gasp when Gou opened the box and he smiled.  They were loving it!

“Now, I shall make him reappear with a flick of the wrist,” Rei said proudly, totally getting into it.  “Magic old and magic new, make Nagisa-kun come back into view!”

Nagisa took his cue and tiptoed back into the box.  Gou opened it and he shielded his eyes from the bright lights of the stage before stepping forward and taking a bow.

But no one was clapping.

“That’s odd,” Rei said, still using his grandiose stage voice. “Perhaps he _did not hear me_.” He side-eyed the curtain.

Nagisa furrowed his brow.

“Rei-chan, what are you saying? I’m right here?” This wasn’t in the script. “Rei-chan?” He stepped forward, but Gou rushed by him, heading backstage.  He could hear her calling him.

Didn't she see him?

“Rei-chan, stop messing around.” Nagisa walked over to him and reached for his arm, but his hand passed right through it.

“Um…” Rei looked out at the audience and swallowed. “Just a moment, ladies and gentlemen.”

Gou reappeared from backstage, a panicked look on her face.  “He’s gone!”

Nagisa took a staggering step backwards and held up his hands.  He could see through them!  He looked over at the wand in Rei’s hands.

Maybe there was a reason it wasn’t for sale.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, if I was going to write a fic with a magic shop it just _had_ to have Sardo in it!!  
>  (Please tell me you all remember him from Are You Afraid of the Dark?)
> 
> Anyhoo...poor Nagisa! He's going to have to figure out how to tell them what happened and get back to that shop to fix things.
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on tumblr [@jubesy](http://jubesy.tumblr.com)!


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